Every day I get several scam calls even if I have punched the block this number button on my phone. One caller from Colorado calls every day at 9 A.M. telling on a recorded message that they represent my retirement insurance company. Every two or three days I get a call my extended warranty on my car has expired. They know what kind of car I have, the year of manufacture, and how long I have had it. I don’t know who shared that information with the scammer.

My wife and I use different techniques. When my phone says “likely a scammer” I answer, “Good Morning Scam and do not call again.” My wife plays along with them sometimes and asks how they got her number and she is going to find out and get the prosecuted. Do you think they really expect to sell you a medicare or health plan when they call? Do you think they think they will sell you an extended warranty on your ten year old automobile when they call? Do you think that the Social Security Administration is going to stop payments if you do not call them back within two hours? Do you think that the city you live in has condemned your property if you do not make certain improvements? Do you think it is required in your community that you have monthly treatments for termites to eliminate the spread within the community and they can save you lots of money if you just sign a monthly contract with them?

DO YOU REALLY THINK THE VARIOUS UNSOLICITED CALLS TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING EXPECT TO SELL YOU THEIR SERVICE? THE COMPANIES THAT DO EXPECT TO SELL YOU INSURANCE , MONTHLY SERVICES ON YOUR PROPERTY, AUTO WARRANTEES, ALL SET A SHORT EXPIRATION DATE IN AN ATTEMPT TO CLOSE THE SALE. MOST OF THE OTHERS ARE TRYING TO GET YOU TO GIVE THEM YOUR EMAIL, YOUR ADDRESS, YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, A CREDIT CARD NUMBER, OR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION THEY CAN USE TO USE YOUR ACCOUNTS OR BRIBE YOU TO NOT USE THE INFORMATION THEY EXTRACTED FROM YOU.

I will give you a couple of examples of a technique that has been used for several years now. A friend of mine that lives in Canada told me about his neighbor advertising his furniture on Craigslist. They had several calls and gave their address to one particular caller. A couple with a pickup came to look at the furniture and said they would pay them $8,500 for the furniture, his friend accepted the offer. When it came time to pay, they said we are moving from here to the U.S. and are leaving tomorrow which was a Sunday. They said we still have our bank account here and can give you a check. They talked to the couple for quite a while and decided to accept the check. Then another wrinkle entered the transaction, they ask if they could write it for $9000 rather than $8,500 and if the people would give them $500 for gas money? Again, both couples discussed this transaction trying to decide whether to accept the offer. Low and behold the people accepted the offer. Monday morning, they went to their bank and deposited the $9000 check, they were told you will have to wait five banking days before it hits your account. On the fifth banking day the people get a call from the bank telling them the check was no good. They were out the furniture and $500. The bank fraud division contacted them and told them they could go to jail for attempting to collect money on a fraudulent check. They ask what about the people that gave the check to us? The bank said you will have to get an attorney and try to find them and sue them for your loss.

I buy and sell bicycles on Craigslist and Offerup. About three years ago was the first time several people tried this scam on me for a new Schwinn Midtown bicycle. A woman sends me an email on the Craigslist email system and states my husband is a very busy man, he is in Chicago right now and we are moving to Hawaii, he loves Schwinn Midtown bicycles. His wife said he ask me to handle this transaction for him. She asked for my name, address, phone number, email, so she could mail me a cashier’s check that day which should arrive in one to two days. She explained that his agent would come and pick up the bike after I received the cashier’s check. She also said I will make it for $50 more than the price of the bike just for you saving it for him. THE FIRST TIME THIS PROPOSITION WAS PRESENTED TO ME I FELL FOR IT. Two days later I get a check marked cashier’s check written on an Illinois bank for $1,200. The price of the bike was $150 and the $50 she wanted to give me for holding it would have made it $200. A man called me on a Friday and ask if I received the check? I responded that I had, but what is the additional one thousand dollars for? He said just cash the check it is a good check and give the $1,000 cash to my agent that will come this afternoon to pick up the bike. I responded I am not a bank and I will not deposit the check or give your agent the bike or $1,000. The guy got real pushy he called me back several times just saying “Take the check to the bank and deposit it, they will take it”. I ask for his return address so I could send the check back. The guy on the phone refused to give me his name and his mailing address. At the conclusion I told him I had found the online sight of the FBI and I was sending the check to them. The caller hung up the phone and I never heard from him again. I did fill a report with the FBI for this transaction which included the guy’s email address and phone number. Two days later I got a check for $1,000 for another bike from a local person that was supposed to come and see the bike. It was in fact another scam attempt saying they were local but too busy to come and would be sending an agent and had already mailed me a check for the bike. I only gave them my name and address to come and see the bike. I also sent their $1,000 check to the FBI. I told the person calling that their check had gone to the FBI, they hung up. THAT WAS THREE YEARS AGO THIS SCAM SURFACED, NOW THREE YEARS LATER IT HAS RESURFACED. EVERY TIME I ADVERTISE A NEW SCHWINN OR DIAMONDBACK BIKE I GET AN EMAIL THAT THE PERSON IS SO BUSY THEIR SECRETARY IS HANDING A TRANSACTION TO PURCHASE A BIKE FOR THEM AND THEY WILL SEND A CASHIERS CHECK WITHIN TWO DAYS.

ANY TIME A CALLER ASKS FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION CONFIRM EXACTLY WHO THEY ARE BEFORE REVEALING ANYTHING. IT CAN COST YOU LOTS OF MONEY AND YOUR REPUTATION IF YOU DO NOT VERIFY THE PERSON REQUESTING INFORMATION FROM YOU OVER THE PHONE.